The official Global Times reported (January 11) that Qizhala, Chairman of the TAR Regional Government said in his government work report to the second session of the 11th People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region on January 10, that TAR's GDP in 2018 was estimated to have exceeded 140 billion yuan (US$ 21 billion). He said a total of 180,000 people in Tibet were taken off the list of the poor, defined as per capita annual income of 2,300 yuan at 2010 prices. The regional government also vowed to lift the last 150,000 people out of poverty and eradicate absolute poverty this year, which marks the 60th anniversary of democratic reforms in the region. Xiong Kunxin, an ethnic studies professor at Tibet University in Lhasa, told the Global Times on January 11, that 'the biggest change in Tibet during the past century is that residents now identify themselves as citizens, instead of slaves after the liberation from slavery in 1951.' He added that 'support by the State and Party policy also empowered residents to strive for a better life, which also gave them a stronger sense of belonging in the region.' The Global Times said 'Tibetan officials also warned that the "hypocritical" side of the 14th Dalai Lama, who was regarded as a separatist and fled into exile 60 years ago, should be clearly noted. A commentary published by Tibet Daily on December 13, observed that 'the 14th Dalai Lama ignored the remarkable progress made in such a short period and his remarks that Tibet has "no human rights and religious freedom" are complete nonsense. Hu Shisheng, Director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceania Studies in Beijing, told Global Times (January 11) "No matter what kind of noises the 14th Dalai Lama makes, his narrative is losing the market and his support in international society has hit a record low as the Chinese central government's policy in the region has proven to be beneficial to residents." He added 'As a result of effective management of social and religious affairs, there are no major political accidents or self-immolations in Tibet since the deadly March 14 riot in Tibet in 2008.' He also said 'Though some US politicians might continue to play the Tibet card against China in 2019 on issues like human rights, China should ignore those political tricks and focus on exploring diverse development approach to the region.'
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